In an effort to beat the heat and entertain the kids this summer, we have attended a lot of family films.

Nine Lives was our collective favorite movie of the summer. Even though it is a movie about Kevin Spacey becoming a cat, which sounds like it couldn’t be interesting to an adult, each of the four of us got choked up at one point or another (and confessed which scenes made us cry on our way to dinner).

The plot is something that most families can relate to (a busy parent and a child wanting more attention than the parent is willing to give them), and there are a lot of cute scenes, heartwarming scenes, and just the right amount of bathroom humor “for the kids”.

Tom Brand (Kevin Spacey) is a daredevil billionaire at the top of his game. His eponymous company FireBrand is nearing completion on its greatest achievement to date – the tallest skyscraper in the northern hemisphere. But Tom’s workaholic lifestyle has disconnected him from his family, particularly his beautiful wife Lara (Jennifer Garner) and his adoring daughter Rebecca (Malina Weissman).